


Pity Party

by Demona424



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Tumblr: promptsinpanem
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-17
Updated: 2014-01-17
Packaged: 2018-01-09 01:06:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1139631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demona424/pseuds/Demona424
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Katniss never expected to be in a bar on Christmas Eve drowning her sorrows surrounded by people dressed in Santa outfits but she also never expected her ex-husband to cheat on her with her best friend. She also won't ever expect what the night will bring when Peeta Mellark sits next to her with his own sorrows to drown. Pity parties are the best with some company.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pity Party

**Author's Note:**

> This was meant for the Prompts in Panem Christmas challenge but of course I'm super late! I hope you enjoy this story, it has a wee little angst, a lot of self-pity and a good healthy dose of smut to make everything better.

She sat at the bar and rolled the tumbler filled with her gin gimlet between her cold hands, watching as the liquid moved around the ice. It never had occurred to her that she would ever spend the days before Christmas with alcohol as her only friend and companion, but fuck it, at least it was something to keep her warm. She took a large gulp before she turned her eyes away from her only company and watched as people laughed and partied around her.

Before she could stop it, a tear escaped her right eye, tracked a path down her cheek before plopping into her drink below. She didn't want to cry in a bar by herself, that was never her intention. She just wanted to escape her empty house for a little while and pretend it wasn't Christmas, but seeing everyone dressed in their Christmas gear for some stupid Santa Crawl did little to make her feel less lonely and pathetic. She couldn't help the resentment that filled her heart with every sip she took of her drink. Instead of gulping down gin, she should be trying to untangle the ball of tree lights while Lily giggled at her ineptitude. Instead of sitting by herself, she should already be hiding presents around the house in places that her little hands couldn't get. She should be excited about each day that brought her closer to Christmas morning with her daughter. But here she was, a day before Christmas with only an empty house to look forward to and a cat that barely tolerated her.

She sighed and tossed back the rest of her drink now faced with two unappealing choices. Would it be better to give up the ghost and head home or try again with a stronger drink to help her brain go blank? She finally decided to just signal the bartender, intent on paying her bill and heading out when a body plopped hard on the stool next to her which jostled her a little bit as he demanded the bartenders attention instead. 

"Four shots of Jack and two PBRs please," the man asked. She was about to chew him out for cutting her off, or at least glare at him really hard when she realized that it was none other than one Peeta Mellark.

"Hey Peeta, rough night I take it," the bartender said with a wry smile playing on his lips.

"You know it Darius. Hey it could be worse. At least I don't have to serve all these drunken assholes using Christmas as an excuse to binge drink. Besides, some of it is for Katniss here. Misery loves company, right?" 

"Ha ha Mellark. These assholes put down a lot of money, which goes right in my pocket so I welcome mass binging once in awhile," Darius said as he over poured the shots and slid them over. Just as Peeta put some money down, somebody barfed in the corner of the bar causing him to roll his eyes. "Okay, maybe you're right. Good thing I just bought a big bag of kitty litter. Christmas puke is the best kind of present."

The loaded silence stretched between Katniss and Peeta after Darius left them alone with neither of them knowing how to start a conversation that was bound to be uncomfortable. Eventually Peeta slowly slid one of the shots in front of Katniss before taking one into his hand and holding it up.

"I guess we both don't have anything to cheer to, so I guess 'Salute' would be a little more appropriate in this situation," he said as he looked over at her. His appearance was an absolute mess, his blond hair was sticking up every which way, like he had been running his hands through it and his face had at least a couple days of scruff. His eyes were also a little red which caused the blue of his irises to pop out even brighter, and she wouldn't be surprised if he had been crying.

"What are you doing here?" she asked knowing she probably sounded rude. Of all the places in the city it was pretty concidental that he would end up in the same bar that she was trying to drown her sorrows.

"I didn't have anywhere else special to be and Darius gives me a steep discount," he answered with a shrug of his shoulders. She wasn't sure but he seemed a little embarrassed to be found in this situation, but who was she to judge.

"Salute Peeta. Here's to getting through this god damn Christmas," she said as she looked over at him. His eyes scanned over her quickly and he probably found her looking just as bad. Her brown hair was falling out of her braid, she had no makeup on her face what-so-ever, and he probably found her grey eyes just as red. They clinked their glasses and tossed back the full content of their shot glasses then she reached over to her cheap beer and chugged a few gulps to wash away the burn. 

"Why PBR?" she asked Peeta.

"Haven't you heard? It was America's best in 1983, or at least that's what the label tells me," he answered before he chuckled to himself. "Actually it was my dad's favorite. I used to steal sips when I was little. My mom hated it with a passion and used to get on his ass all the time about it, but he refused to stop drinking it, his only sign of rebellion against her. Forward a few years later and then it was Madge nagging at me, for well just breathing I guess, and soon I was the one drinking PBR in rebellion. She hated it too. Now I kinda like it's cheap nutty taste."

"When did you drop Graham off?" His face fell even further at her question and he rubbed his hand through his hair again, making it even messier than before.

"This morning. It's just me and my empty apartment. You?"

"I dropped Lily off yesterday night. She was so happy to see her dad, she barely looked back at me to say goodbye when he took her. I like to think that it was because she didn't know she wouldn't be seeing me for more than a week, but it doesn't make it any easier." 

At the memory another tear fell down her cheek, but this time it was stopped short by Peeta's thumb as he wiped it away. He then gently cupped her face with his hand and the rough texture of his skin rubbing against her skin felt comforting and suddenly she didn't feel so alone. She put her hand on top of his and gave it a gentle squeeze before she looked over and got caught in his intensity shining through his eyes. In there she saw everything she felt - sadness, loneliness, and resentment at the situation they both found themselves in. They brought their joined hands back to the bar top but they didn't let go and she gave his hand another gentle squeeze, silently encouraging him to go next.

"Same here. Madge brought him a present and it's one of the toys he's been absolutely beggging for. He was so excited about his gift, he barely looked at me when I kissed him goodbye. I couldn't help but feel it was one last dig before she left. God, I was so angry I didn't even know what to do with myself. Dad made me leave work early today because my temper kept flaring up all morning. I just wandered around uselessly until I found myself here and found you," he paused a moment, as he swallowed heavily before he continues. "This is going to be my first Christmas without him. I don't want to have Christmas without him. When I got married it was supposed to be forever. I guess marriage doesn't mean forever for her. So much for happily fuckin' ever after."

His other hand banged heavily on the bar top which caused a small amount of liquid to jump out of their second shot glasses. Quickly he looked over at her in embarrassment because of his loss of temper and she found red blossoming on his cheeks.

"You can see why my dad kicked me out of the bakery today," he said sheepishly.

"Believe me Peeta, I understand. I spent most of the day at my kick boxing class. Eventually my coach made me go home because she was afraid I was going to hurt someone. Maybe we should take those other shots now. Either it'll calm us down or we'll start a bar fight, both good options." She let go of his hand to take one of the shot glasses and held it up to him, shaking it a little in his face. He didn't quite smile but a smirk did play on the corner of his lips. He grabbed the glass from her and clinked it against the other one she held up and they tossed the whisky back in unison then gave identical gasps of breath as the alcohol created it's wonderful warm path. Katniss's head swam a little bit more but it still wasn't enough, and apparently it wasn't enough for Peeta either because he signaled Darius for another round of drinks.

The bar became increasingly crowded around them as santas and elves in various states of dress and inebriation poured into every available space. Peeta rolled his eyes at the craziness and pushed his stool closer to Katniss and they turned to fully face each other. Their knees interlocked together and the warmth of his legs radiating through his pants seeped through her own jeans and she found herself leaning in closer. She bodily put her hands on his legs as she leaned in to talk to him over the din of the Christmas revelers.

"You know I didn't really like you that much when I first met you. I thought you were an insincere playboy actually," she said in his ear as her lips just barely grazed his lobe. She wasn't sure, but it seemed like a shiver went up through his body, but she shrugged it off as probably just being caused by the breeze coming through the open door.

"Why's that?" he asked, his forehead wrinkling in honest confusion.

"You were just so cheerful and charming about everything and girls just ate it up. The whole good-looking blond boy thing didn't hurt. Girls couldn't get enough of you everytime we went out, you were practically swarmed wherever we went. Gale may have had that whole tall dark and handsome thing going for him, but you just had that 'thing' you know? Charisma, I guess. Plus you were just so damn optimistic about everything, I thought nobody could be that geninuely Pollyanna."

"Pollyanna?" Peeta interrupted.

"Yeah, it's a Disney movie, look it up. But that's not the point. I didn't think you were for real, and I had no idea how you and Gale could ever be best friends."

"The only positive part I got out of what you just said was that you think I'm good looking and can pick up a girl in a bar. If you're trying to make me feel better, it's not really working," Peeta answered after a pause. She could kick herself, her words never could come out exactly right and as she looked into his face, expecting to find annoyance, instead she found amusement and curiosity. A small smiled touched her lips and she slapped him hard on the arm and couldn't help but notice that he was very solidly built.

"Let me finish, Peeta!" she grabbed her third shot and tossed it back before sliding the other one to him where he followed her lead. "I said when I first met you I didn't like you, that was a long time ago. As I got to know you, I got to see the real person inside of you, and you were genuine and sweet and annoying optimistic about life. I envied that about you."

"I guess I had to be that way. Things were so shitty growing up, I always had to hope that something better would come along, and eventually it did. I don't feel that optimistic right now though, quite the opposite," She could practically feel the sadness in his voice, and her heart throbbed in pain in return, so she grabbed his hand again and intertwined their fingers. She knew that she probably wouldn't be so touchy-feely if she wasn't half-way to drunk but right now she couldn't find it inside her to care. Both their worlds had turned upside down and by people who they had trusted the most with their hearts.

"Well, I grew to appreciate that about you. As Gale's friend, you didn't have to be friends with me, I was only his girl after all. But you went out of your way to include me whenever you could. You made me like you despite my own hesitation in letting you in. And well, I guess it's coming late, but well. Thank you." She swallowed hard, her throat all of a sudden dry so she grabbed her now warm beer and took another large swig. She wasn't quite sure why she was telling him all this but she just felt a compulsion to share with him how special he is. 

Peeta unconsciously brought up his left hand and rubbed the back of his neck and looked up bashfully under hooded yes.

"Well, I can admit now, I thought you were kind of bitchy. Extremely hot, but bitchy," he said. Katniss slapped him on the arm again and huffed in shocked annoyance, but he just laughed at her and continued.

"I mean come on, you gave me stank eye whenever we met up as a group! I wasn't quite sure what I did wrong, your dislike of me seemed pretty instantaneous. Bitchy was an obvious conclusion. But I'm nothing if not determined, and I was going to figure you the hell out. So basically I was nice to you as a personal challenge. I wanted to get the intimidating Katniss Everdeen to actually like me. Plus, well, I didn't want to be cast off just because by best friend's girlfriend didn't like me so I was actually pretty self-serving. So maybe I'm not as nice as you think." Peeta holds up his chin firm, almost in challenge to the squeaky clean image she painted of him but he only looks like a defiant five year old so she threw her head back and let out a big laugh. In return Peeta finally gaves his first genuine big smile of the night and she could feel her heart get a little lighter.

"Peeta, you're a downright bad boy. You're a faky McFakerson and I was right in the first place to never have liked you, and I take it all back," she said in a completely straight tone and finished with a firm nod of her head. "I guess I should leave now, since clearly I've been mislead." She made a move to get up off her stool but he pulled her back down and knocked her knees with his own playfully.

"Sit back down woman. I get your point. You're infuriating you know that? But seriously, I like that about you. Sure, it was hard getting through that brick wall but once I did, I found the most genuinely loyal, caring and sweet person I've ever known. Most importantly I always knew that I was getting the real you, and I liked that. When you were happy you were happy, when you were angry you were angry. I never had to deal with guessing how you were really feeling or that you were putting on a false smile for my benefit, because you never did anything for my benefit. You don't know how many fake girls I had to put up with while dating. If you thought I was a playboy, I was just trying to find the real thing." Peeta paused awkwardly and looked at her in embarrassment as he once again got a little red around the ears before he continued. 

"I have to admit, I was jealous of Gale. Even though he was my friend, I thought he was sort of an ass, and I couldn't believe his luck in finding you. And then along came Madge, and I thought I saw everything I wanted in a person. It was my fault, the bad marriage, the divorce, everything. I projected everything good and wonderful on to her and didn't see the real person underneath at all because I wanted to see those things. I was in complete denial." Katniss hated how Peeta's head dipped down low in shame, so she brought her hand to his chin and lifted it up, giving it a soft stroke before it fell down again to lay on his leg.

"Peeta, you can't blame yourself. I mean, we're both not perfect, but they're the ones who cheated on us. They're the ones who lied to us repeatedly. They're the ones who broke up our family! God, how I hate them both for what they've done, and I hate how that anger makes me feel inside. I don't want to feel the constant burning in my chest ready to explode at any moment. Fuck them Peeta. Just fuck the whole thing!" Her hand clutched tightly at her shirt like it was trying to grab at the pain in her heart and she didn't know she was doing it until Peeta, gently grabbed her hand and massaged the tension out of her fingers.

"God damn it, you're right!" Peeta said as his fist flew down again and struck the wood of the bar with a large crack. A few of the Santas left in the bar looked over at the loud noise but he ignored them. "Fuck them both! He was my best friend! How could he fucking do that to me! How could he do that to you? How could Madge do that to us too? I gave her everything. I gave up my dream of becoming an artist for her, and for what...nothing, that's what. And on top of that, she whines and cries about not having Graham for Christmas, and I give in like the fucking pussy I am. And now I don't even have my son. I'm always somebody's fool." Then his fist comes down again, even harder this time, and the space around them cleared a little as people looked at him warily.

"You know, if you wanted another drink, you just needed to tell me, no need to destroy my bar," interrupted Darius. "Here, two more Jacks, on the house, just drink a lot of water when you get home okay?"

They grabbed their drinks and looked at each other a little glassy-eyed, but both had steely looks of determination. "Fuck them both," they said in unison, before drinking their liquor fast.

"God, Gale really is an ass isn't he. He never used to listen to me and made decisions without me all the time." She swung out her arm, almost falling off her stool and Peeta yanked her back. "I think half the reason Prim went halfway across the country for school was just to get away from his constant lecturing," she said, getting increasingly angrier as she spoke.

"I can admit too that I was also jealous of your relationship with Madge," she continued a little more sadly. "You were so sweet to her all the time, so caring. I pretended I didn't need any of that sort of romanticism in my life, but then you would do something so amazing, I couldn't help the jealousy that rose up inside me that I didn't have the same thing. Gale always seemed to hold me in the best friend category, even after we got married. Forget getting anything even close to passion, he barely touched me after Lily was born. You know what he told me when I got served divorce papers? That he had 'needs' and that I wasn't trying enough. What about my fucking needs?! I'm not some dried up old prune in a coffin. I want to have sex too! Oh but noooo, he had to go looking somewhere else."

"And he found it in my ever so loving and giving wife. You know what she told me? She said that I was working too hard, that I wasn't emotionally there and that I didn't spend enough time with her. That I paid more attention to our son than to her when I was home. That I'd changed since I married her. Well boo fucking hoo. Sorry, maybe I did change, maybe I had to grow up, maybe I had bills to pay and painful life events to overcome. Maybe I wanted to spend time with my son, the person who actually cares that I exist and not the shrew who hates everything about me." Peeta punctuated his statement by chugging down the last of his beer than crushing the can in his hand and throwing it down on to the floor.

"You know what? She's a bitch. And she's going to get bad karma and she's going to get warts on her vagina, that's what," Katniss said as she gestured dramatically again, almost hitting the drunk elf next to her. "And I don't trust anybody, and she was my best friend too Ugh!" Katniss's head would have hit the bar, but Peeta's hand found it's way under her forehead just in time to push her back up.

"You know how I found out?" she continued. "I found a receipt for Restaurante Lardoise in his pocket. What a stupid cliche. I had been begging for months to go so it definitely wasn't me he was with. I was pretty upset and convinced he was cheating on me so I went over to your place to confide in her and instead my suspicions were confirmed when I saw them fucking on the couch through the window. I helped her pick that couch!" Tears seeped out of her eyes at the memory and no matter how much she wiped at her eyes she couldn't stop them from pouring out at an ever increasing speed. She had spent so long being unbelievably angry, she never allowed herself to really cry. But now the damn was broken and she really didn't want to have this bar be the place that she broke down. She pressed her hands hard into her eyes to stop the tears but it was no use, she was pretty sure she was sobbing.

"Oh, Katniss, I'm sorry. Just let it out. It's okay, I'm here," he said. He grabbed her arms and pulled her of the stool and on to his lap and just rocked her as she cried into his soft tshirt. The crowd swirled around him as his shirt got increasingly wet and he couldn't find it inside him to care. He didn't judge or even try to stop her, he just let her get it all out while whispering soothing words of comfort into her ear. 

For Katniss, in what felt like the first time in forever, it felt like someone was taking care of her. So she held on a little tighter and longer than was probably acceptable but she couldn't find it inside her to care. Peeta Mellark just made her feel better, and she felt the ignition of hope light inside her for the first time in what felt like ages. She lived in depression because of the desolution of her marriage, and now she felt like she was finally ready to let go of all the pain, angst, and humiliation. She was ready to move forward and begin again.

When Katniss finally pulled away, she was embarrased to see the large stain she left on his shirt. She wiped at it fruitlessly before she gave up and looked up at him with a sheepish grin at the mess she caused. Expecting annoyance, which Gale's expression would have shown she instead found the sweetest most caring smile directed at her. That smile made her feel like she was melting into a puddle of goo and suddenly she knew she was in pretty big trouble. 

A heat spread through her limbs that she wasn't expecting and she had to resist the urge to squirm in his lap. She wasn't expecting to find herself pressed so closely to him and she wanted to pretend it was just the alcohol affecting her, but that would be lie. Peeta didn't make a move to get her off his lap so she decided it was best just to stay seated and take advantage of the situation.

"Umm, thanks for that, I guess that was a long time coming. Sorry about your shirt by the way," she said as she wiped the wetness that lingered on her face. One of his hands traveled up and down her spine and with each stroke it soothed her frazzled nerves, chasing away a little bit more of the nightmare that had become her life. She wasn't even sure if he realized what a positive effect he had on her. 

"Okay, so maybe we are a tad on the pathetic side," he answered, "I mean we are drowning our sorrows in a bar." He waved a hand around, and all of a sudden she became aware of how many people were actually packed in around them as witnesses to their drama. The frat boys dressed up as pimp Santas trying to squeeze in next to them to buy their drinks, the slutty elf contingent eyeing the frat boys, the old drunk pressed up against Peeta's back, and so many more packed like holiday sardines to the door. The couple making out in the corner, cared not so much.

"Hey, do you maybe wanna get out of here?" She asked him. 

"Yeah, this place is dead anyway," he answered. He gave her a cute little wink and suddenly she felt like she was 16 again and not 28. "But let's take one more parting shot, shall we?"

"Why the hell not, I should take a taxi home by this point anyway," she shrugged and reluctantly slipped off his lap to start gathering her things.

"Katniss, you will do no such thing. I live a freakin' block away, just come over and hang out for awhile. You can crash at my place. What are you going to do at home anyay?" he said, punctuating his point by poking her in the arm repeatedly.

"Oww, that hurts. Okay, okay, just stop already," she slapped his hand away, but he kept going in for another poke and soon they were in a full blown slap fight that ended in a fit of giggles on both sides.

"You've convinced me Mr. Mellark. Get those damn drinks and let's get the hell out of here before I punch somebody." His grin was so wide, she couldn't help let one fill her face as well. Because of that smile, for the first time since before she dropped off Lily, she felt just a little bit of Christmas. Sharing this time with each other, even if they both were drunk, more than chased the loneliness away. How could she ever thank him for being there for her, for not being chased away by her like she did everyone else? 

"Darius my good man, bring us another round, and let me purchase one for yourself," he said as he pounded on the bar with his hand. His voice carried straight over the din of the bar and Darius just shook his head at Peeta's obvious inebriation.

"Sure thing man. I could definitely use a pick me up. All this Christmas cheer is doing me in. I'm ready to throw in the towel. Or better yet, throw every one fuckin outta my bar."

Peeta had leaned completely over the bar to get Darius's attention, which gave Katniss a very very lovely view of his really lucious butt so she decided it was best to just stand back and enjoy while she had the opportunity. But when she heard the giggles over her shoulder she noticed that she wasn't the only one admiring the curves of his form and she was this close to putting her fist in the face of the girl who's hand was slowly gravitating towards him in pinching position. Before she could stop herself, Katniss's hand moved quick as a snake and struck him hard on the left butt cheek. She wasn't quite sure why she did it, all she knew was that she needed to lay claim to his cheek first. He jumped up like he'd been bitten, confusion written on his face, before one eye brow lifted along with the corner of his lip in an adorable half smile as if they were both pulled by the same string.

"Damn woman! I'm getting your drink, hold your horses!" 

"Yes, sir!" she answered with a salute as she hid her own secret smile behind the straight line of her lips.

With much fanfare, Darius took out the black labeled bottle with it's dangerous golden liquid and poured three very generous shots for each of them. They gave each other a salute and made sure to give each other direct eye contact, because that was one superstition they were unwilling to test and tossed the drink back.

"Now, madam and messieur it's been a pleasure serving you today. I have to get back to my drunk ass customers before there is a revolt, but promise me to come in next week when you're not trying to wipe out your brain with alcohol and we'll do a real bourbon tasting. You won't regret it," Darius said, clearing the piled glasses in front of them and wiping down the bar.

"Sure thing man. Thanks for the liquid solace," replied Peeta before he gave Darius a very manly handshake and a thump on the shoulder. Darius then turned to Katniss and before she had any chance to pull away, he gave a quick kiss on the back of her hand along with a sly wink. He then sauntered off to flirt up some women at the other end of the bar, passing by the dude bros who were waving cash at him. In his wake he left a wide-eyed shocked Katniss, and Peeta let out a large laugh at the look of surprise stuck on her face. In reply, she slapped him on the arm once again in punishment for laughing at her expense.

"Always a charmer that Darius. He's left a trail of drunken broken-hearted girls. Ahhh, to have the power of a bartender," Peeta said almost looking wistful.

"What, a young hot baker doesn't have any power over the female sex?" asked Katniss as she struggled to shrug on her over large wool coat. She was pretty sure the large quantity of alcohol she'd had in the short amount of time was not making it any easier for her to move her limbs correctly. Without even asking, Peeta automatically stepped behind her and helped to move the coat up her arms and gently smoothed the heavy fabric over her shoulders.

"Why Katniss Everdeen, are you saying I'm hot?" Peeta whispered into her ear as he leaned up against her back, his body heat seeping through all the layers of clothing between them. She lightly thrust her elbow into his ribs and he let out an "Ooof!"

"Just answer the question Mr. Mellark," she answered.

"My power is limited. Sure there is the whole addictive element of carbs that keep people coming back, but it can't make you make poor life decisions like alcohol can. So by the end of the night, Darius is the best looking guy in the bar. He has an unfair advantage." Katniss could feel the light pout of his lower lip as it touched her ear and it caused a shiver to run through her body which she played off with a light laugh.

"Well, the days of me picking up a bartender are over. Actually, I never really had those days now that I think about it. Clearly, the furthest I go is picking up drunk, depressed bakers," Katniss said. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realized that her internal filter had been turned completely off and she had no idea how to switch it on again.

"So you are picking me up?" Peeta asked as his lips traveled from her ear, down her neck, just barely touching her skin.

Considering, any answer might take her in a direction she wasn't quite sure she was ready to travel, she decided to just be evasive, "Maybe. Maybe we should just get out of here."

"Lead the way," Peeta replied. He swayed slightly and stumbled a bit into her back, his feet not quite on solid ground and she realized that he was probably as drunk as she was. It was a really good thing they were just walking a short way to his place.

She turned around and found that a solid wall of people had filled in between her and the door at the far end of the bar while they were talking and there was no easy path out. "Okay, stay close to me," she ordered. 

"Aye aye Captain," he answered back. His hands traveled down from her shoulders to the curve just above her hips before and the delicous sensation of his large hands squeezing her waist caused her to completely lose her balance and she stumbled back into his hard chest. Peeta Mellark was definitely not good for her equilibrium. She automatically put her hands on top of his to stabilize herself after falling backward, and before she could she could react, Peeta had turned his own around and twined both their hands together. His large arms hands were slightly rough as they rubbed against her own and once again she felt the spark of life ignite in her belly that she believed had long ago gone cold when Gale broke her heart. 

After one long moment basking in warmth of Peeta, she pulled herself together and braced herself for getting through the wall of Christmas revelers that laid before them. She lurched forward, not letting go of Peeta's hands and plowed into the crowd. Their seats at the bar were gone before she got even 1 foot away. She definitely pissed off more than a few people as she shoved her way through the cracks and crevices between the Santas, but she didn't really care, all she wanted was some beautiful head clearing fresh air. When they finally got to the exit, the large doorman Thresh gave them a nod of the head and opened up the door to let them out and she bolted outside dragging Peeta with her. 

She was perhaps a little too quick getting out the door because as soon as she hit the slick pavement outside, she started to lose her footing and unbalanced Peeta along with her. She tried to spin around to get purchase on him, but it only made things worse and before she knew it they both landed hard on the ground with her on top of him. Twin "ooofs!" left their mouths followed by giggles on both sides. If she was sober, she was sure that she would be in some sort of pain, but the alcohol in her veins definitely helped make the landing easier. She planted her small hands on his shoulders and raised herself a little in an attempt to get up but froze in place when she looked down. Peeta's face was brightened up with laughter and she couldn't help but be stunned by how beautiful he was, it had been so long since she'd seen him happy. His laughter slowly died from his lips and as he opened his eyes she found that the shimmering blue was just a thin line around his full pupils as he searched her face in the darkness.

Peeta's hand reached up and as he his finger tips touched her cheek she felt like her heartbeat quicken so fast it felt like it was fighting it's way out of her chest. When he pulled her head down to his, she was certain she could feel his own heart beat synced with her own. He licked his lips and she bent her head towards his. When their lips barely touched, a warmth ignited and spread throughout her body. They opened their mouths into the kiss, the warmth turned into a fire, and she knew that Peeta was a hell of a lot of trouble. His hands had moved up to her head and gripped her hair a little too tightly as he pulled her even closer to him. His lips were rough and demanding, stealing the breath right out of her lungs, his tongue invading and taking control and soon she didn't know up from down.

Suddenly the bar door opened as a few people poured out and as the Santas laughter poured over them, they both realized exactly the position they were in and how public it was. She scrambled up off of him so quickly that her head swam with dizziness. Peeta laid there for a moment while he gathered himself together before he let out a soft groan.

"Katniss, just go on without me. Just let me lay here," he said as he moved his limbs spread eagle in a dramatic fashion. She covered her mouth as she let out a chuckle and was relieved that the darkness around them hid her embarrassment for letting herself get swept away so quickly.

"Well, I'm in no condition to drive back to the house, and since you have the keys to your apartment, you'll just have to power through and get your ass up," she said then offered her hand down to him.

"Yes ma'am," he answered. "Ugh, my leg, that's going to fuckin hurt tomorrow." She yanked him up and he leaned heavily on her for a moment before he bent down and rubbed under his knee.

"Oh Peeta, I'm sorry, I forgot about your leg! Is it okay? Will you be able to stand on it?" Concern laced her voice as she rubbed the small of his back. She felt like a total idiot for forgetting and putting him in a situation that would might hurt him further.

"Oh, it's okay, I just twisted my knee a little bit. I'll be able to make it home. It will be nice to get back to the apartment and take off this damn prothesis. You know what would help, if you'd kiss it and make it better." Peeta gave her a cheesy wink and a crooked grin and her hand automatically went up to give him a shove and he stumbled back against the wall. 

"Oh, Peeta! I'm sorry..." but before she could continue he grabbed her by the waist and yanked her to him and his lips closed in on hers before she could continue. She easily complied, the kiss quickly becoming hard and wet as their tongues pushed and pulled against each other. The door once again banged open next to them and she pulled away but this time instead of jumping away, she just leaned her forehead down against his lips.

"I'm in danger of completely losing my head around you Peeta Mellark," she said. Her breath came out in a heavy white cloud in evidence of the cold around them but she felt like she was burning up. 

"I could say the same around you Katniss Hawthorne," he replied as his lips explored the map of her face from forehead to cheek to chin and she felt like she was being marked.

"It's back to Everdeen now. It took me 1 year to get it changed to Hawthorne and less than a month to change it back once it was clear he wanted a divorce," she said.

"Well Ms. Katniss Everdeen, let's get out of the cold. The whisky is only going to work so long, unless you want to keep kissing me, then I'll get nice and hot," Peeta said before raising his eyebrows a few times to make his point.

"Oh my God, that was so cheesy, come on let's go," she answered, walking away from him. He grabbed her hand before she was able to go too far and yanked her back which caused her to spin around again. She thought he was going to kiss her again but instead surprised her when he brought her hand up to his lips and laid a gentle kiss on her knuckles as he looked under heavy lids. 

In this day and age, such an antiquated gesture like that really shouldn't cause her to melt, especially considering Darius attempted the same move moments before, but it stil did. She felt her insides turning into goo as she stood there with their gazes locked together. When he brought her hand down, he pushed away from the wall he leaned against and set off for his apartment, still gripping her hand tightly. She couldn't help but notice that his stride was more uneven than usual as he limped a little heavily next to her.

"Peeta, are you okay? I shouldn't have been so reckless," she said, concern lacing her voice. He just shrugged his shoulders and gave her another one of his cheesy grins.

"You can be reckless with me any time Katniss," was his reply.

"Peeta... seriously." Katniss rolled her eyes at him. 

"Seriously, I'm fine. It just throbs a little, nothing compared to before. My knee is just a little sore. It'll be fine in no time."

"Does it bother you a lot?"

"Not anymore, but maybe I'm just used to it now. When the accident first happened the pain was unbearable. I never thought I'd feel normal again. There were days so dark, I just wanted to end it all. If it wasn't for Graham lighting the way, I don't know where I'd be. Actually, if you think about it, the affair and our divorces are probably all my fault. If I hadn't gotten into that accident, I wouldn't have lost the bottom of my leg, I wouldn't have fallen into that depression, Madge wouldn't have sought comfort from Gail, and we wouldn't be here where we are now."

"Peeta stop it," Katniss said, stopping and spinning around so fast she made her head swim again. His eyes were cast downward in embarrassment and now her heart throbbed for a different reason. He was just as hurt this last year as she was by what happened and of all people who deserved something like this it definitely wasn't Peeta. He was the sweetest most caring person that she knew.

"Hey, look at me," she cupped his flushed chilled cheeks with her hands and brought his face up until she could look him in the eye. "Remember, we vowed 'for better or for worse' and I know we both meant it when we said those words. We trusted them, but apparently they didn't mean the same thing. I know I'm finally ready to move forward and I like being with you right here where we are now." When she finished, the heat in his eyes burned bright and hot and she could feel her own cheeks redden in turn at the intensity she felt. 

"I like being here with you too Katniss. Sorry for the pity party. Thanks for bringing me back from the edge..again. I guess I just needed the verbal slap in the face," he said as he laid a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Well, I'll be willing to slap you any time," and as soon as the words left her mouth she realized what it sounded like and she felt like she blushed from head to toe. From the smirk on his face she knew that he wasn't like to let her off easy. 

"At this pace we'll never get back to my apartment, especially if we involve slapping. And then we might get arrested," he said, so she answered him by slapping in him on the arm which made him laugh out loud. She tried to hide her smile, but soon she was chuckling along with him. She didn't know if it was the alcohol or Peeta, but it was hard not to smile around him. 

She hooked her arm through his, once again turned towards the bakery and after a few minutes of silently enjoying each others company, they finally found themselves in front of the storefront. There were a few display lights still on and the room glowed warm and inviting. Peeta went past the main door to the white security door on the side and opened it quickly before he dramatically pulled it open and gave a sweeping gesture to usher her inside. She climbed the steep stairs to his apartment door and as each step seemed to wobble she realized her feet were definitely not cooperating with her. If Peeta wasn't there holding her by the waist she was pretty sure she would have fallen face forward several times and she felt like she conquered a mountain when she reached the top.

When they got inside he turned a couple of table lamps that gave off a soft warm glow, giving her the opportunity to look around.

"Umm, sorry if this place is a mess," he said stuffing a jacket that lay hapharzardly on his couch into a closet.

"No, your place is really nice Peeta," she answered, and she meant it. She instantly she felt at home. From the exposed brick wall, to the fireplace mantle filled with pictures and to the overly plush furniture, his place said comfort and welcome. She wanted to explore all his paintings on the walls and all the knick knacks scattered around the counters, certain that each told a story of his life. Leave it to Peeta to not live in a man cave but make the apartment above his bakery a real home. It was so different from the cold sterile house that she and Gale had shared. 

Katniss turned to him and suddenly they were both shy, awkward, and unsure about what to do next. Peeta rubbed the back of his head a little sheepishly and looked at her from under his long eyelashes. She silently thanked alcohol which pushed her do what came natural to the situation, and very opposite of her own nature. She went up to him, brought her arms around his waist and hugged him, burrowing her face into the soft fabric of his shirt. He swiftly brought his arms around her and pulled her even closer to him. They just stood there, holding each other and took comfort in each other. She hadn't felt so good and at peace since before her father died and she never wanted the moment to end.

"I really really want to ravish you Everdeen and I know I'm going to regret saying this, but I think maybe we should probably get some sleep," he said, his voice muffled since his lips were in her hair. "I can sleep in Graham's room."

"I guess you're right," she mumbled reluctantly into his shirt. She looked up at him and found regret filling his eyes and so she leaned up, only meaning to kiss him softly but soon their lips were moving fast and hard against each other. She was so intoxicated by the taste and touch of him she wasn't ready to part from him for the night. So she pulled away only far enough to say, "Okay, so we'll just sleep. But can you stay with me?"

Peeta for once seemed at a loss of words. He just nodded his head and gave her another soft kiss before he pulled her down the hallway to his room. He closed the door behind them, and turned to her, his hands rubbing his thighs nervously like he didn't know what to do. That shy sweet look broke down any guards that were left, so she went up to him and quietly started to take off his clothes piece by piece. First the coat came off, then she unbuttoned his shirt and slid it down his arms. Next she pulled his undershirt out of his pants and over his head. More than satisfied to see his firm naked torso, she pushed him to sit down on the bed and knelt before him to unbuckle his belt. He lifted his hips off the bed when she directed him to and pulled his pants down while he pushed off his socks and shoes. 

Once everything was off except for his boxers, she sat back on her haunches as she contemplated his false leg, not quite sure how to take it off. He looked at her shyly before he took control and removed it from his stump. He hissed in relief and rubbed the skin where the prosthesis had touched him. She raised her hand and lightly traced the scars on his knee that ran down to where his leg ended and when she felt the shiver go through him she looked up to see his eyes guarded and clouded with questions. She didn't look away as she lowered her head and laid soft kisses on the skin of his stump and her heart beat harder because of the look of awe that filled his face.

His hand went to the skin of her face and he gently caressed her cheek before raising her face up. He motioned her to get up and when she stood between his legs, it was his turn to disrobe her. His deft fingers made quick work of her coat, shirt, bra, jeans and shoes. Soon she had nothing on except for her plain cotton floral panties and her rational brain couldn't help wonder why he would want her. He was so beautiful in front of her, all muscle and hard lines. She flushed in embarrassment at the flaws he must have found on her body, especially the thin lines that stretched across her stomach from her pregnancy with Lily. She always hated that Madge's own body seemed to go back to perfect after her own pregnancy with Graham. 

But when she looked at his face, his expression only showed the burning heat of desire. She swallowed down her fear and embarrassment, put her hand on his shoulders and straddle his waist. The heat of her core line up perfectly with his hardness and she couldn't help but undulate against him to feel more, which caused them both to moan. He pulled her head down by the back of her hair and thrust his tongue into her mouth which she received happily, letting it play with her own. They started to move against each other, just letting the heat and pleasure build between them. Just enjoying how their hands moved against each others skin in an attempt map and learn one another for the first time.

His hand traveled up to one of her breasts and gently massaged before his touch became more aggressive and demanding. He rolled and pinched her nipple before he brought his mouth to her other breast and twirled his tongue around the areola before sucking hard. Katniss tore away from his mouth, threw her head and gasped at the sensations, "Oh my god Peeta, that feels so good. Don't stop."

As an answer, he brought one hand to the middle of her back to push her chest closer to his mouth and the other hand moved down and caressed her thigh before he abruptly thrust it under her panties and rubbed her outer lips. His thumb quickly found her clit and moved it around in circles which caused an electric current to shoot from her core all the way to her fingertips. She bent her head back down again and whispered into ear, "I want to make you feel good Peeta."

"Fuck Katniss, you're already making feel so good..." but he wasn't able to finish because she reached down and pulled out his hard dick from his boxers and started rubbing the palm of her hand around his head. Peeta's head fell forward and his lips went straight to the crook of her neck where his tongue jutted out and tasted the salt of her skin. 

"Oh god, Peeta," She moaned before she brought her hand to her own center. She pushed his hand aside to gather some wetness on her fingers before she brought it back to his shaft and pumped him up and down with more ease. They both pulsated with the energy building between each other and soon they were quickly thrusting and pushing against each other in attempts to get more from each other. His breath was hot against her skin and she loved how the fingers of his left hand dug hard into her side with every pump of her fist. Every part of her tingled until the sensation turned into a burn so hot she exploded with quivering muscles and a pulsating throb that stole the breath right out of her chest. 

Every muscle twitched, and her breath took it's time to come back into her lungs. When she eventually she came back to herself she realized that Peeta had collapsed on the bed and she lay spread out on top of him. His hands made soothing circles on her back and she stretched under his touch pressing her breasts into the sweat and cooling seed on his chest and it felt delicious against her sensitive nipples. Folding her hands under his chin, she blinked her eyes open and found him peering down at her with a cheshire grin spread across his face.

"Okay, so I guess I had to ravish you a little bit Ms. Everdeen, you're just too hard to resist," he said before kissing her on the forehead. She felt the same way too, in fact she couldn't resist leaning up to grab another kiss and relished the feel of his soft lips as they played back and forth with her own.

"Umm, I'm going to go clean up," Katniss said before she jumped up quickly and ran over to the bathroom, never noticing that Peeta had sat up to appreciate the view of her ass jiggling. When she came back she found he had gotten off the bed and made his way over to his dresser and pulled out a new pair of boxers for himself and a worn old Clash t-shirt that he was holding out to her. Looking at him standing there a smirk on his face with all his muscles fully displayed, she suddenly realized how bare she was herself. She wished that she could strut over to him like some sort of sex bombshell, confident in her partial nudity, but instead she felt like she doing more of an awkward shuffle. And she couldn't even begin to figure out what to do with her arms. Did she cover up her boobs or did she leave them hanging at her side? She ended up just crossing her arms in front of her and hiding her face behind a curtain of hair. 

"Hey, none of that Kat. Let's save the awkward conversation for tomorrow when we're sober. Right now, let's just crawl into bed. I'm a very good cuddler." She looked up at him and gave him a small shy smile and he beamed back at her. He moved closer to her using a hopping motion and that's when she noticed that he hadn't put his false leg back on. It was then that she realized that if he could bare himself without embarrassment then she could at least attempt to do the same. She took in a deep cleansing breath before she slowly moved up to him, not stopping until their skin was just barely touching. She reached down and pulled out the t-shirt that was clutched tightly in his hand and whispered against his mouth, "Thanks for the t-shirt," then bounced back to the bed so quickly, he swayed forward and almost lost his balance.

"You are going to be the death of me Katniss," he said as exasperation and humor intermingled in his tone. Giving him a sly smile she pulled the soft shirt over her head before she patted the spot next to her. 

"Come on cuddle monkey, let's see those skills."

The smile he gave her was so sweet yet sexy and held so many promises that she felt herself flush all over again. She crooked her finger and gestured for him to come over so he didn't hesitate to take the opportunity, jumping on the bed so hard, her whole body bounced up and she gave a squeal of surprise. Laughter bubbled out of her throat and before she knew it he was kissing her again, first her lips then her cheeks before he moved down to her throat, pulling her down to the bed the entire time. She loved the way he looked as he hovered over her, his curls falling over his forehead, the muscles of his arms tight as he held himself up. But she loved most of all how his eyes shined down at her with a glow she had wish she'd seen in Gale. 

His chest felt so good under her hands she wanted to keep exploring all the dips, curves, and bumps, but instead she brought her them up to his neck and pulled him down for one more kiss. She was officially an addict and she didn't know if she would ever have enough. 

Without looking, he reached behind to grab the blankets and pulled them on top, creating such a comfortable warm cocoon she felt her eyes start to droop. With one last kiss, he turned them over so he could lay on his back and she leaned partially on top, her right leg intertwined with his. His hand made secret patterns on her back while she clutched the other in her own. The last thought she had before she drifted off was that she could happily stay in this moment always.

_________________________________

She waved her hands back and forth through the grass beneath her. It tickled her skin, almost to the point of irritation, but she loved the feel of the earth beneath her too much to care. She was trying to make a grass angel but the grass beneath her limbs wasn't cooperating and kept popping up. The sun beamed down warm and friendly and she took the opportunity to let it just soak in her skin. As a mother she didn't get many moments like these to just be and while she relished every moment with her daughter, she didn't mind taking the opportunity to just let her bones relax and just float. She looked over to her left and found that Peeta was having a much better time with his angel than she was. The shape was sheer perfection and the grass did whatever he wanted it to. She would hate him for being so perfect but it was hard to resist the adorable smile on his face, especially when accompanied by all the nakedness. To bad she really couldn't enjoy the view with the buzzing in her ear. She turned to her right, and there sat Gale, and he just wouldn't shut up. His lips kept moving, and the buzz from his mouth filled the air and try as she might, she just couldn't ignore it.

All of a sudden her eyes popped open and everything swam around here, reality blending with the dreams, creating a chaotic confusion until she realized that it wasn't Gale who wouldn't shut up, it was her phone. It was vibrating madly somewhere on the floor of Peeta's floor and she could barely pry her eyes open to find it. The sound shut off suddenly just as she realized that it might be a call concerning Lily and panic filled her veins like cold ice water. The warm blankets that were comfortably cocooning her suddenly seemed to be suffocating and tying her down. She scrambled to get out from under them and ended up falling over the side of the bed and landed on the floor with a hard thump. 

"God damnit," she groaned out. The fall was definitely not helping her head. She could feel the whisky oozing out of her pores and she hated herself a little for drinking way too much last night. The buzzing started up again and through the curtain of hair that had fallen over her face she spotted her phone only about a foot in front of her. It must have fallen out of a pocket when she shed her clothing last night. She reached over to grab it with clumsy fingers, answering the call that was labled "unknown." 

"Hello?" Her voice came out more like a scratchy croak and she had to clear it before she tried again, "Hi, Katniss speaking."

"There you are Katniss. How many times do I have to ring your damn phone?" Gale's impatient voice rang out through the speaker. She blew a piece of hair from out of her face, it was way too early to deal with him when he was in one of his moods.

"I'm here now Gale. What's going on? How's Lily? Where are you calling from?" she asked impatiently. She sat up and leaned up against the bed and the blood rush made her head pound in pain. She repressed her moan, not willing to let Gale know that she was so terribly hungover. Knowing him, he'd use it as leverage to get his way the next time they were in an argument. 

"She's been crying for an hour straight, I haven't been able to get her to quit. Can you please talk to her?" She could tell by the tone of his voice, that he had reached the edge. She knew he loved his daughter with his whole being, but she also knew when he was at the point when his last nerves were being frayed and as ususal he called on her smooth things over.

"Put her on the phone Gale, it will be okay," she said calmly. She heard shuffling on the other side of the phone before she heard Lily's cries get closer as he brought their little girl over to the receiver. When she finally did reach the phone, Katniss's heart broke at her tiny hiccups and sniffles as she tried to stop her tears.

"Mommy, where are you? I miss you. You didn't read a story last night and I can't find Miss Binky," she finally managed to get out. Her voice was so little and sweet it just made her heart hurt that she couldn't just pick her up and hold her.

"Hey Baby, I miss you lots and lots too. I'm at home remember. You're going to be spending Christmas with Daddy and Grandma Hazelle," she tried to be as soothing as possible, but she could hear Lily start to cry a little harder. 

"But mommy, I wanna go home!" she said as she sniffled.

"Oh sweetie don't cry, this is a happy time, it's Christmas and you'll get lots of presents and you'll see me real soon. Don't forget Daddy and grandma love you lots and lots. They just wanted to spend time with you. Now wipe your tears and have fun today, Santa is coming!" Katniss tried to be as happy and enthusiastic as possible, and she just hoped it worked.

"Okay," she finally said as she wiped her nose loudly. She sure hoped Gale had given her a tissue. "Mommy can you sing a song? Pretty please."

"Of course, anything for you my little Lily pad," she said. Lily as always let out a little giggle when she called her that. 

"Deep in the meadow, under the willow, A bed of grass, a soft green pillow..." Katniss sang to her softly as she tried to send all her love through the song to the little girl on the other side of the phone line. It was the song her own father sung her as she drifted off, a thumb stuck in in her mouth, and that his mother would sing him as a small child cradled in her arms before she put him to bed. Lily was no different, she always got sleepy when she heard that song and she knew that her eyes were getting heavy by the time she reached the end of the song.

"Baby, I love you lots and lots. I love you more than all the stars in the heavens," she told her.

"I love you too mommy," she answered back as a yawn stretched her mouth.

"Hey Katniss, it's Hazelle. The little munchkin just fell asleep in my lap," came in over the line.

"Hi Hazelle. So I take it she was cranky this morning," she said as a statement and not as a question.

"Yup, she was a little grumpy when she got up, but then when she couldn't find Miss Binky, she lost it and was inconsolable. So of course all she wanted was her mommy. I told Gale, she just needed to hear your voice and she'd be fine, but you know that boy, full of pride," she said with a chuckle.

"I won't disagree with you on that one. Look for Miss Binky at the end of the bed. She has a tendancy to crawl all the way under the covers when she's playing pretend, and then her toys get left back there. If not, try in back of the couch, she likes to hide back there too."

"I will do," answered Hazelle before she paused. "Katniss, I just wanted you to know that my son's an idiot, I love him, but he's an idiot. We all love you and miss you. You're always going to be family no matter what, don't forget that." She could hear the regret in Hazelle's voice. Her mother and Hazelle had been best friends from childhood and she had been another parent to her, especially after her father died. Hearing the love come over the phone, tipped her contained emotions over and tears started to pour out of her eyes. 

"Thanks Hazelle, that means a lot. I love you guys too. Maybe next year, when I have the money I'll be able to come to," she finally answered after she swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Okay, honey. Well you have a good Christmas, and you'll be seeing your little baby in just a few days so hold strong, it won't be too long. God bless and take care."

"You too Hazelle. Merry Christmas," she said before she hung up the phone. She resisted the urge to toss her phone against the wall and ended up just flinging it so it skidded across the floor a couple of feet. She then brought up her knees to her chest, shutting out the world in the dark space her arms created round her legs and arms, and just squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to reign in her emotions. 

She was so in her own world, she jumped when she felt a hand touch her arm softly. She looked up to see Peeta kneeling down next to her with concern lining his face. She wanted to smile and shake it off for his sake but all she could do was shake her head, then choke out, "I'm fine, that was just a little tough."

He brought up his hands to her warm cheeks and wiped off the remains of her tears with his thumbs then gave her a soft kiss on the lips before he settled in besides her. "I know how you feel. I talked to Graham this morning too. He was cheerful at first and talking up a storm but he started to cry when he realized I wouldn't be with him and Madge on Christmas morning. We have a tradition of making cookies and I just didn't think he'd even remember that we do it since he's only four, let alone miss it so much. But that set him off. I felt like a monster before I had to remind myself that this wasn't my decision to divorce."

She grabbed the hand that was next to her and gave it a gentle squeeze as she laid her head on his shoulder. Everything felt so topsy turvy in her life right now and this wasn't how she ever imagined celebrating Christmas, but she was glad he was here with her. He made everything feel like it could be alright again.

"Alright, enough moping by the both of us. I've made a spectacular hang over Christmas Eve breakfast." He got up off the floor before he offered both his hands to her to help her up. He then pushed her gently towards the door before he gave her a quick slap on the ass. She let out a shriek of surprise and turned around, giving him a fierce glare, but the amused smirk on his face told her that it was having very little affect on him. She turned around with a huff and headed towards the sweet scent of bacon calling to her from the kitchen. 

Clearly he had been awake a lot longer than her because laid out before her on the large kitchen island were golden pancakes, steaming eggs, crispy home fries, warm soft biscuits, large sausages, and beautiful thick cut bacon. She looked over at him with an incredulous look on her face and found him rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Well, I tried sleeping in, and it worked for awhile, but my stomach disagreed with that. Plus, I'm a big believer in feeding a hangover, the greasier the better. And beside, I wasn't sure what you'd want so I just decided to make a little bit of everything." 

"Well, I'm definitely not complaining, I think I want everything," she replied as she licked her lips and stared at all the food displayed before her. She could literally feel the drool pool in her mouth and her stomach gave a growl in answer. So transfixed by the food in front of her, she didn't give a second glance to Peeta as she gravitated to the spread in front of her, grabbing a plate and started piling it on.

As she pulled a stool out and sat down, Peeta slid her over a glass of water, two tylenols, and a Bloody Mary. She looked up at him gratefully, and muttered "Thank you." Katniss could feel the dreaded morning awkwardness settling in and couldn't find any more words to say. So she just looked back down, threw back the pills with a half glass of water before she shoved a fork full of food into her mouth and swallowed hard. Her eyes widened when her taste buds exploded with the flavors on her tongue and she quickly shoveled another mouthful and then another, happy for the tasty distraction. 

Peeta took his own plate and grabbed the stool next to her and started in on his food, sliding looks to her every few seconds. Silence descended over them as their forks scrapped against their plates but she wasn't sure how to approach this whole situation. Her mouth may have been sealed shut, but her brain was moving a mile a minute. It wasn't like it was an everyday occurrence she woke up in a friend's apartment after he’d given her an amazing orgasm. Hell, she hardly had orgasms with her own husband in the last year. How the hell do you start a conversation with someone who made you gasp his name in complete ecstasy after a drunken pity party? Were they even friends to begin with? What if he wanted her to leave? Maybe the food was a way of letting her down gently.

"Katniss, I can practically hear you thinking. I was hoping to avoid the whole awkward day after thing, but clearly I failed. Why don't you just come out and say it," Peeta finally said as he broke the silence.

She looked over at him and worried the bottom of the lip as she searched her brain for how to start. His crystal blue eyes filled with hope and worry and she realized that it wasn't only her heart at stake with this entire situation. He was probably just as scared as she was.

"What is all this Peeta? Was this just us passing a lonely evening together getting drunk? Revenge? More?" The last work came out more like a whisper as she looked down at her hands and played with the hem of the shirt she wore, his shirt. Oh how she wanted the answer to be more, but she was also afraid of what that “more” meant for her. She didn't know if her heart could take another beat down. It was already bruised enough.

He turned to face her and grabbed her hands, forcing her to turn towards him as well. She was fascinated by the look of her small tanned hands encased by his large ones. She could see the marks of heat across his skin from his work at the bakery. They were worker hands, rough and thick, used to carrying, lifting, kneading and they fit perfectly with her own.

"Honestly, I don't know what we are Katniss," he answered after a pause. "Last night, I was only expecting to drown my sorrows. I could never have predicted what would happen between this. It was like some crazy dream come true. You're wonderful Katniss, you make everything better. I don't know how you feel about what happened, but I want to see where this takes us. Are you in?"

She looked up at him and she melted at the look of hope filling his eyes. She knew that whatever she said next could crush him if she wanted and that was so beyond scary. She never wanted to hurt him, but she couldn't guarantee that would never happen. 

"Umm, Peeta, god, I don't know what to say..." she began, but as soon as the words were out of her mouth, he pulled away from her, turned around and hopped off the stool to head for the dishes in the sink. 

"It's okay, I understand. I mean, I know it's too soon. Your wounded, I'm wounded, we both got drunk last night. These kinda things are bound to happen, just a way to feel better. I was being too pushy," he said.

As soon as he finished speaking he turned on the water and started scrubbing the first pan in front of him roughly. The steam rose so fiercely, she didn't understand how he wasn't burning his hands and she hated that her inability to voice her feelings had already hurt him. Always better with actions than with words she just got up from her stool, her bare feet whispering across the floor as she walked over to him. His shirt was tight against the muscles of his back so she took a moment to appreciate them before she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist before she leaned her forehead against him. As soon as she touched him his body stiffened, his hands covered in soap hovered in the air and she could tell he was trembling slightly, probably from how hard he was trying to contain his emotions.

It was now easier to confess how she felt, not looking at him, but holding him. "I'm sorry, Peeta, I started off all wrong. I'm just nervous and scared. I do want to be with you, I do want to try. I really shouldn't, I mean, your my ex-best friend's ex who left you for my ex for christ sake! That is ridiculous, right out an old Jerry Springer show. But you make me feel alive again. But that's not even it, you give me this feeling that starts in the pit of my stomach that I've never felt before. It's weird, and confusing and scary, but it's exciting and wonderful and I don't want it to go away. Did I mention the scary part?"

She could feel the vibration of his chuckle coming from his chest go right through her. His wet hands covered her arms, pressing them against his body, and she could feel the fire ignite in her belly again. He made every part of her tingle in the best ways, every part of her wanted to feel every part of him. She let out a sigh and squeezed him around the waist a little bit tighter in hope that he could feel what was inside her without having to vocalize it. They stood there for a moment, her cheek pressed into his back, moved up and down with every intake of his breath, his hands traveled up and down the soft skin of her arms, neither wanting to break the peace between them. 

A bird sang a sweet song outside the window and time seemed to start up again. He turned around in the circle of her arms and brought his hands to her upturned faced and leaned down to her give her a soft playful kiss on the lips. He just took in the plumpness of her lips and a few tastes of her tongue. It was a kiss of understanding, a kiss hello, a kiss of new beginnings. When they pulled back for air, the smiles they gave each other matched in every way.

"Katniss, I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared too. I'm frightened out of my gourd. I don't know what a gourd is, but I'm still still scared out of it." When she chuckled at his lame joke, he gave her a kiss for it.

"See, I should have known. Madge, would never laugh at me, with me, when I’m being dorky. Now you, you seem all serious, but the laughter that lights your eyes is amazing, completely hypnotic," he said then leaned down and gave her another soft addictive kiss.

"You want to finish breakfast?" he asked her suddenly.

"Actually yes. I was hardly able to enjoy it, my brain was running around in circles. It's all amazing Peeta. I think I want to keep you around for awhile, maybe you can be my personal man servant, and your number one job would be cooking," she told him.

"Hopefully cooking wouldn't be my number one job, I have many other talents outside of the kitchen," he said with a sly wink. His hands gravitated down her back to the swell just above her ass, paused then moved down further and gave her cheeks a good squeeze which pressed her into the hard planes of his body. She just laughed again and slapped him on the chest before she stepped away, grabbed him by the hand and pulled to the other side of the table to the plates of food growing cold. 

"You are distracting me Mellark, and I want to eat," she told him before she turned back to her food and dug in. This time the silence that descended while they ate was a comfortable one, their knees knocking and sly glances given by both. When they finished up, they threw the dishes into the washer then headed over to his oversized couch to lay back and digest the large amount of food they had eaten. He sat down against the arm of the couch and spread his legs before he pulled her down to lay against his chest. She was so comfortable, and with the soothing stroke of his hand on her arm, her heavy eyelids started to droop before she could begin to be conscious that they were closing.

"So why didn't you go travel down and see your mom for Christmas, isn't she close neighbors with Gale's mom?" he said suddenly, startling her out of her stupor.

She decided to interlock their hands before she answered. "Short answer is money. As for the long answer, since Prim couldn't get home from New York, we decided it would be best if we sent mom there, and it's expensive this time of year to travel! Plus with the divorce and the lawyer, I just couldn't afford to buy a ticket to join them. I somehow was able to convince them I'd be okay, so off she went. I decided to just fuck it and drive down the 6 plus hours home so I'd be able to be with Lily for Christmas, even if I was crashing their Christmas. But then my stupid car broke down, the alternator. That's how I ended up at the bar. The mechanic was only a block away, and by that point, I just really needed a drink. Don't judge," she said.

He laughed in response and said, "Hey remember, no judging from my part. Guess where you found me, in the same bar."

"Hey! You found me. I was just innocently crying into my drink when you accosted me. For all I know, you may have been stalking me," she teased back.

"Well, you were just so luscious sitting there, like a beautiful little oasis, in a sea of Christmas wasteland." He made his point by kissing along the side of her neck and she gave a little moan of approval as she arched into him. He gave a grunt of approval back and his soft wet tongue came out and followed the path that his kisses left.

"You are distracting me again Peeta, you're impossible to deal with," but her words were opposite of her actions because she twisted around to kiss him soundly on the mouth.

"Okay, your turn, what are you doing for Christmas? Spending it with your family?" she asked after she turned back around and nestled further into him.

"Nah. Mom's super pissed right now. More at Madge than at me, but she'll be in the mother of all moods. My brothers are going and they're bring their brood of children, so they'll be a good distraction. I don't know, it's just going to be hard to see them rip into presents without having Graham there with them," he paused, let out a big sigh before continuing. "It just seems so unfair that they both get to have them for Christmas. What's wrong with us? How did we let them get away with this?"

"I would say that they just know how to push all the right buttons to get what they want." Katniss also lets out a huge sigh. She hated feeling so helpless and like she just gave in to what he wanted, like usual.

"You know what, fuck that!" Peeta abruptly got up, almost dumping her on to the floor. His feet carried him back and forth in his living room as he paced in agitated annoyance at the whole situation. "I have a car, let's just drive on down there right now. Hangover be damned. If we leave by 2 pm, we might get there before 8. I say let's go for it!"

"Peeta, you know what, you're right. We should just drive down there. I say let's go for it too." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Peeta was striding over to where she still sat on couch and practically lifted her up off her feet to hold her tight. She squeaked in surprise at the sudden movement, letting out a laugh but she let herself melt into his embrace before she pushed herself away.

"Okay, none of that or we'll never get out of the house. Besides I need a shower," she said then ended with "Alone," when she saw the heat ignite in his eyes again. 

"You're going to be the death of me Katniss," he replied as a pout played on his lips. He was one to speak, that pout was downright sinful.

_____________________________________________________________

She threw herself backwards on the bed and let out a long relieved sigh, she was so happy to just be lying down; the last 24 hours had been completely exhausting emotionally and physically. She was pretty sure she was still must be a little hungover from the night before. Her eyes were just about to close when a body landed next to her, causing her to bounce slightly on the bed. She turned her head and found Peeta mirroring her position arms and legs stretched out as he let out his own sigh. 

"See, that wasn't so bad was it. A little weird, sure, but not bad."

 

_A few hours earlier_

"What's wrong with me? Why am I shaking? I should just be able to walk in there and I can't even open the car door," Katniss said. She brought her head down a little too hard on the dashboard, making a thunk sound. One bang was not enough but when she brought her head down again, instead of hitting hard plastic, her forehead hit the soft skin of Peeta's hand. She sat back up in her seat and that same hand that saved her from a bruise forming on her forehead traveled down to her own hands twisting nervously in her lap, giving them a reassuring squeeze. 

"I'm not doing much better than you. I keep worrying that Graham is having much more fun with Madge and Gale than boring old dad. So I know how you're feeling. But we can do this together. We're a team now." He brought her hand up and left a sweet kiss on her knuckles. That little gesture brought a smile back to her face. She turned to find him staring down at her and she couldn't resist the comfort of his lips so she she leaned up and took in the taste of him.

"Okay, let's do this. Let operation 'Take back Christmas' commence," she said as she pressed her lips in a firm line. 

They pushed their doors open and met each other on the pathway up to Hazelle's house, automatically reaching for each other's hands without even realizing it. The house practically pulsated with all the lights covering the outside. Hazelle and Jim Hawthorne were always well known for their exuberance in all things Christmas. It practically mocked her with it's cheerfulness. She was reminded how just hours ago she had been wallowing in self-pity instead of taking a hold of her life and doing something about it. Somehow Peeta seemed to read her mind and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. She took a deep breath before she reached over and rung the doorbell. 

For a long excruciating moment there was no sound or movement, just the echo of the ring going through the house. She could feel her heart beating out of her chest as she waited. Nothing happened. She looked over at Peeta and he just shrugged his shoulders his face clouded in confusion. Before he bravery left her and she ran back to the car, she reached over and rung the doorbell again, holding her breath. This time when the echos ended she did hear the sound of heels quickly approaching and she just prayed to high heaven that it wasn't Madge. She knew that her former best friend was in the house and that she would have to face her, but she hoped that it was a friendly face she found first. If it wasn't for Peeta stabilizing presence anchoring in place with his strong hand she wasn't sure if she'd be able to face this moment and the potential confrontation.

As the locks clicked open, her heart beat harder in her chest and she clung to his hand even tighter. Suddenly it opened and there was Hazelle standing in the doorway, and she let out the breath she was holding in.

"Katniss?" she asked in confusion with the obvious answer in front of her.

"Hi Hazelle, Merry Christmas," Katniss answered shakily as she gave a little wave of her hand.

"Oh my dear girl! You are a sight for sore eyes. Come here, come here!" she exclaimed before she grabbed onto to Katniss and pulled her into a hug so tight that it took the breath right out of her. Katniss closed her eyes and took a moment to revel in the comfort of her love. When her dad had died and her mother had shut down, it was Hazelle who would hug and kiss them at night, reassuring them that everything would be alright. And in this moment, with her second mom reassuring her like when she was little, she knew it would be. Hazelle pulled away and caressed Katniss's cheek, a smile lighting her face. 

"I was so worried about you spending Christmas all alone, what with your mom and Prim away. Jim didn't know what to do with me! Oh, now Christmas can really start. Peeta Mellark is that you lurking back there?"

"Merry Christmas ma'am. I decided to tag along with Katniss and see my little boy, if you don't mind," he said sheepishly.

"Oh of course not. Both of you come in out of the cold," she said, ushering them into the front living room. They're all in the back den. The kids will be so excited." She turned around and hollered down into the house, "Lily! Graham! Santa brought an early Christmas present! Get your cute butts over here now!"

"Wow, she sure does have some lungs," he whispered into Katniss's ear. 

"Yeah, but at least that was her happy voice, you don't want to hear her when she's mad. Oh boy, I think she broke an ear drum once," she mumbled back. When she looked back at Hazelle, she found her watching them with a quizzical look on her face, a slight smile on the corner of her mouth. Before Katniss could say anything, they heard the pounding of little feet on the floor before the door burst open and their two little ones tumbled through. For a brief moment they stopped in shock before identical screams of joy pierced the air.

"Mommy!"

"Dad!"

Katniss and Peeta bent down as the kids came running to them and they scooped them up into their arms. As soon as Lily wrapped her little arms around her neck, Katniss closed her eyes in pure joy. Her little girl was her entire heart and she finally felt whole again.

"I missed you mommy. Nobody would sing carols with me except for Grandma Hazelle and she sounds baaaaaddd. And you do my braid the bestest, Madge sucks," she said as she scrunched up her face.

Katniss gave her a kiss on her soft warm cheek, "Don't say suck. And I promise I'll sing all the songs you want."

"Promise?" she pleaded, her grey eyes wide and shining.

"Pinky swear Pumpkin," she answered as she kissed her again.

She looked over to Peeta and found a smile fixed on his face as he listened to Graham prattle away. 

"...and I wrote a letter to Santa and I made it into an airplane and had grandpa Jim throw it because he's super strong and Lily didn't think Santa would get it in time, but here you are! Santa got the letter and sent you!" 

She heard a throat clearing and she turned around to see Gale and Madge with the rest of the stoic Hawthorne clan behind him. She couldn't believe how tall Rory and Vic had become and boy were they unbelievably intimidating. She gulped and hoped to god that they weren't upset to see her or this could be really bad. 

She gave a little wave to them and just as Gale was about to open his mouth, he was pushed aside by his 11 year old sister Posey.

"Aunt Katniss!" The little girl launched herself at her and Katniss nearly toppled her and Lily at the force of it. That was enough to move the other Hawthornes and soon they were taking turns giving her hugs and saying hello. Gale and Madge on the other hand stayed rooted to their spots with dumbstruck expressions plastered on their faces. Actually Gale was more dumbstruck, Madge expression spoke of annoyance.

"Mom, look! Dad came! I told you Santa would send him!" exclaimed a cheerful Graham.

"What the...ummm, what are you guys doing here?" Madge asked as she tried to restrain her frustration.

"We're here to see our children, end of story. Look, can we talk to you guys outside please," Peeta answered. He gave a kiss on his son's head before he put him down, walked to the front door and held it open for them. Madge pushed her way past Katniss with a pout on her pretty face as she followed her ex-husband out the door. Gale just put a kiss on Lily's other cheek before he took her from Katniss's arms and gave her to his dad. He gestured to Katniss to go before him and they followed their exes, closing the door for some privacy.

"Peeta, what are you doing here? You let me have him for Christmas..."

"Katniss what is going on? Why are you here with Peeta?..."

They both started talking at once and she couldn't help but cringe as their voice begun to raise higher.

"Stop," Peeta said firmly as he rose his hand. He wasn't loud, but his tone stopped them cold. "I'm going to cut to the chase. You guys owe us."

"But.." they both said at once but Peeta cut them off at once.

"No buts. You guys did a shitty thing and were rewarded for it. This is their first Christmas without their parents together. They don't deserve to be separated from us and we don't deserve to be separated from them."

"We can and will be civil, for them," Katniss continued. "Plus we're not asking for a lot, just equality. You can keep them tonight, but tomorrow you drop them off at my mom's house and we get a turn to spend the day with them.

"But, that's not fair!" Madge whined. 

"Okay, we'll do it," Gale answered

"Wait, what?" A confused Madge asked as she turned towards Gale, clearly surprised that he would consent so quickly. "You're just going to give in?" 

Peeta and Katniss looked and each other and sent over silent communication of their own confusion. Katniss just shook her head unsure as to why Gale would give in so easily.

"I'm not giving in honey, I'm compromising with them. I'd be upset to if I couldn't see Lily on Christmas, it was unfair of me to just whisk her away. Besides, I can't deal with one more mournful look of disappoint from my parents. The campaign of silent treatment from everyone has been working," he told her. He grabbed her hands and held them as he reasoned with her, but Katniss could tell that Madge was still reluctant.

"But Gale, we were supposed to have brunch with my parents," she pouted looking more like a petulant teenager.

"Madge look," said Peeta, "I'm not trying to take anything away from you. But he's my kid too. You can still have brunch with your parents and then drop him off in the afternoon. If you loved me at any point in our past, you'll work on this with me. I'm not your enemy, I love him just as much as you do. Please."

Katniss held her breath as she waited Madge to answer and when she saw her slump her shoulders, she knew they had actually gotten through to her. Madge had always been stubborn about things she wanted but that didn't mean she didn't have a heart. Katniss knew her former best friend like the back of her hand and she also knew that when Madge dealt with guilt she did it in the worst ways. This meant she would usually lash out at other people so she didn't have to face her own actions but in the end she always came around.

"Okay, of course we can bring him over tomorrow. Sorry, it's just been a really stressful time. I thought you came up here to exact revenge or something." Clearly stressed out, she pulled her hand through her well coiffed hair which caused parts of it to stick up in random directions. Gale automatically reached over and smoothed the hair pieces down while he looked at her fondly. A rush of emotions moved through Katniss making her feel unbalanced: confusion, envy, relief, and affection. She wasn't surprised when she figured out that the affection was all directed toward Peeta. She wanted to share everything with him and it scared her how fast everything was happening between the two of them but she was ready for this crazy ride.

"Wait? What are you guys doing here together?" Gale suddenly asked in confusion.

"That's a story for another time, most likely never Gale." Katniss answered. 

"Okay..." he said as he drew out the last syllable. She could tell he was trying to put the puzzle pieces together and he'd get it soon enough, but she wasn't going to help him out on figuring it out.

"Come on, let's go inside before they think we killed each other. We can show that we can actually act like adults," Katniss said before she turned around and headed towards the door. As soon as she opened it, Lily flew towards her and attached herself to her legs like velcro. Katniss's smile was so big she was sure her face was going to ache tomorrow. She just bent over and picked her daughter and held on to her tight. 

"I love you Pumpkin Belly," Katniss said to her little girl as she gave her an Eskimo kiss.

"I love you too mommy," she answered back, holding her mommy's cheeks in her tiny hands.

_Present_

She sighed in tired happiness. Never had she made a better decision than driving down and crashing Gale's Christmas. Well except for maybe sorta having sex with Peeta. A smile creeped up on her face, even the thought of it made her warm all over. 

It was definitely weird and awkward, to put it very lightly, but it was worth it. Whenever it became a little bit too much for her, Peeta would be right there with a hand on the small of her back rubbing circles or he would grab her hand and give it a soft squeeze. Once when they went to the kitchen to get drinks, he pressed her against the fridge and gave her a hot long lingering kiss that curled her toes. That left her so high she was able to get through the rest of the night. 

It also helped that, despite her fears, the rest of the Hawthorne clan were happy to see her and unbelievably supportive. Even the usually taciturn Rory came over and gave her a hug. It was awkward sure, but nice. Although, she's pretty sure he just used it as an opportunity to ask about Prim. Plus the exuberance of the kids was enough to make everybody smile. Those two were two peas in a pod even if they fought every 5 minutes.

She was broken out of her musings when warm lips touched her neck followed by a wet hot tongue that trailed down from under her chin to the nape of her neck. Instantly her heart started to beat faster and she attempted to hide how much he was affecting her. She didn't want to make it that easy for him.

"Katniss...." he said as he drew out her name playfully.

"Yes Peeta?" she answered. She cracked her eyes open just a smidge and found him hovering over her, arms taut and the muscles of his chest were oh so yummy as they heaved over her. 

"You're not that tired, are you?" he asked. His hand settled on her collar bone and started to trace patterns, occasionally dipping lower to caress the tops of her breasts. It was just enough to tease and slowly stoke her fire but not enough to do much else.

"I'm exhausted. I think I'll just go to sleep right here. Wake me when it's the morning and it's time to go to the market," she replied. She bit the bottom of her lip in an attempt not to smile when he huffed in frustration.

"What can I do to not make you so tired? Does this help?" he asked as he kissed the tops of her clothed nipples. "Or maybe this?" He then went lower and lifted her shirt to lay a wet kiss on her stomach, slightly dipping his tongue in her belly button.

"Nuh uh," was her only answer.

"I know what will work. This..." he then dipped his hand lower and drew down the zipper of her jeans before his fingers dived in under her panties and started to massage her lips, not quite dipping in. Her hips thrusted up as she sought for more. Her eye lids squeezed tightly shut and she let out a moan of frustration when he continued to just tease her, his touch grazing everywhere except where she wanted it most.

"If you open your eyes, I'll let you come," he breathed into her ear and that was enough for her eyes to instantly pop open. She attempted to glare at him, but he only laughed at her frustration.

"I win," he chuckled.

"You wish," she replied, "Now continue before I deal with this 'problem' myself," she quipped back. His eyes darkened at the thought of watching her masterbate and he growled, roughly before he pulled her pants and underwear off. He flung them to the other side of the room and just sat back on his haunches watching her, pupils dilated with hunger and lust. She squirmed under his gaze, equally parts embarrassed and turned. Just when she was about to say something, he lay down on his stomach and pushed up her legs.

"Hold them under your knees," he ordered her. She did what he requested and the discomfort at being so exposed to him caused an almost uncomfortable throbbing sensation in her stomach that combined with her desire she felt for him. When his mouth closed in on her opening, his tongue dexterously sliding around her clit, she wasn't sure what was discomfort and what was pleasure. And then it was all pleasure. He was very very good at multi-tasking with his tongue and fingers. She had no idea how Madge could ever give this up. She started to thrust towards his mouth and the urge to grab his head was overwhelming. It caused her to clutch her legs tighter and her short nails dug into the flesh under her thighs almost painfully. 

"Stop," she suddenly said.

"Whu?" he asked a dazed look on his face as he licked his lips.

"I want to feel you inside me when I come. Please?" she answered quietly.

"Your wish is my command," Peeta said before he dove down to give her a long kiss and his tongue explored her mouth as it had efficiently done her clit. Her hands gravitated to the back of his head and she gripped him tightly. She simply loved kissing Peeta. She loved everything about it, the feel of his lips, the movement of his tongue against hers, how she tasted herself on him and the way he seemed to give her his heart. 

She was so desperate to keep on kissing him, she really didn't give him the chance to move far enough away to shed his clothing. 

"Please, Peeta, I need you now," she moaned into his mouth. 

"Mmm hmm," he mumbled into hers, groping around his bed-stand until he blindly found a condom in the drawer.

"Katniss," he said between kisses, "I need," kiss, "to put," kiss "this on."

"Okay, but hurry," she urged.

He lifted up enough to push his pants and boxers down and she used her feet to get them down to his thighs. He was struggling to open the package, so she grabbed it from him and deftly tore it open and rolled it on to him. She then started to softly move her hand up and down, especially concentrating on rolling her palm over the head. He groaned at the feeling and dropped his head on the pillow next to her, his breath coming out in heavy pants. He eventually gathered himself up enough to push her hand away then lined himself up. He picked his head up and looked into her silver eyes, silently asking permission. When she nodded he didn't hesitate to thrust in. 

"Fuck Katniss, you feel so good," he said in a strained voice, and she completely agreed. His girth stretched her almost painfully, but she also felt a completeness she had never felt before, that made her feel beyond just carnal pleasure. 

She pulled him back down to lay against her as they both undulated in unison, letting the delicious pressure build. She wanted him to be as deep in her as possible so she wrapped her legs around his waist and pushed at the top of his jeans. One of his hands assisted her, holding her at the small of her back, while her hands traveled to under his shirt so she could feel his muscles move under his skin. They were breathing so hard, there kisses were messy and almost desperate but she just wanted more and more.

As he pushed harder and faster inside of her she couldn't hold on anymore and came hard under him, every body part shaking and quivering, a living live wire. Her heart beat through her whole body and she clutched his back as she tried to gather breath back into her body, her legs falling back to the bed. He pumped erratically inside of her a few more times before coming hard inside of her. Spent, he collapsed heavily on top of her and now it was his turn to try and get his breathing under control. Eventually he pushed himself up far enough away to roll off of her, but he grabbed her and pulled her half up over him. After a few minutes of blessed silence where they just relished the feel of being tangled around each other he started to chuckle.

"What?" she asked.

"We didn't even get all of our clothes off," he said.

"Huh, you're right. At least you could have taken off my bra, the thing is really digging in right now," she replied as she sat up and looked down at him. Her hair fell, in a curtain around her face, and he gently pushed it back from her face before he caressed her cheek lovingly.

"It would be my pleasure." He pushed up her shirt and she brought it over her head, then he made good on his word and unsnapped the back clasp, dragged down the straps before tossing the bra away with a flourish. He brought her back down to him and gave her a chaste kiss before she tucked her head under his chin.

"We're pretty nuts aren't we. I mean, we have to be. It's only been 24 hours since we bumped in to each other at the bar. We got unbelievably drunk, gave each other orgasms, hijacked our exes’ Christmas, before having incredible sex. And I want to do it again. Who does that?" she said as she waved her hand around in the air. He grabbed it when it came close to his nose and brought it to his mouth for a kiss.

"Yup, pretty much. But if you're okay with that, I'm okay with that." It was a loaded question, he said it lightly but she knew that he meant much more than what he was saying, he wasn't one to ever dive into just pure physical pleasure. Peeta put in his whole heart into the person he was with.

"Yeah, I'm pretty okay with that. Sanity is overrated anyway." She lifted her head and looked down at him, a smile playfully turned her lips. He lifted her hand to his mouth again and gave it another kiss before she bent down and claimed his lips with her own. Yeah, if sanity was not being with Peeta than she wanted no part of it. She was home.

**Author's Note:**

> I actually got inspiration from Shania Twain's story of love. I don't know the particulars, only that her husband leaving her with her own friend and she then Shania ended up falling in love and getting married to said-friend's ex-husband. So juicy. I hope you like it, drop a kudo or feedback if you did. 
> 
> And as always mucho mucho thanks to my beta Diana Flynn for making my story and cracking the whip to keep me focused. Go over and read her late holiday My Favorite Holiday, it's a complete blast to read. :-)


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